


Soullination

by orphan_account



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Soulmate AU, its officially a long-ish story now, no there isnt incest, whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-03-15 06:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13607370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "I know you're real."-_-_-_-_-Pollination, without incest, soulmate AU because my mind likes to torture me.





	1. It's a fish

**Author's Note:**

> listen.
> 
> I just.
> 
> soulmate au's kill me and this popped into my mind, and you know what, ill deal with the consequences later because i LOVE this so far.
> 
> Basically: Our girls have more than one soulmate, and in this soulmate au, the markings they put on their skin show up on their soulmates' skin in the same exact spot. Also, this is going to be a drabble/oneshot type of thing, but it will follow a story somehow.
> 
> for now just enjoy the fluff with the occasional angst.
> 
> edit from future me: its a story now and these first few chapters are gonna be edited soon pls have patience with me

She races past all the kids that looked at her weirdly, but she didn’t care about them currently. Their judging stares were the last thing on her mind. Her heart pounded against her chest rapidly, a wide grin spread across her face when the skin on her left hand throbbed lightly. 

The young girl came to a stop when the familiar sight of wild blonde hair came into view, jumping up and down in front of her equally excited sister. 

“Look! Look!” The redhead gestured towards the back of her hand, her silver eyes shining with pure joy. “I have one!”

Her sister opens her mouth, smiling, but once she caught sight of the writing on the bubbly child’s skin, it began to fade. The redhead’s grin dropped, confused about her sister’s sudden change in attitude.

“That’s… That’s great!” the blonde replies, forcing the smile back on her face.

Ruby beamed again, glancing back at the drawing on her hand with admiration.

They’d just been let out of school when she noticed the dull pain growing on her hand, expecting to see a paper cut or a thorn stuck in her hand, only to be met with black ink shaped into a crudely drawn fish. Ruby rubs her finger over it softly.

A sudden idea flashed in her mind, making Ruby turn to the unnaturally quiet Yang with wide eyes. “Do you have a pencil?” she asked, her words connecting in her enthusiasm. She was practically shaking with exhilaration. 

Ruby noticed Yang glance behind her with a frown, but the child paid it no mind. The blonde shook her head with exasperation, her lilac eyes troubled. “Why?” she countered, “For all I know you could’ve faked it, Ruby.”

The redhead felt a stone drop in her stomach. “But… I didn’t.”

Yang’s eyes shifted to a bright crimson, her clenched jaw and rigid posture revealing her anger. She spit out, “Nobody your age gets those! Stop making fun of me, Ruby.” Her eyes turn lilac again, and Yang looks behind her disheartened sister again. “She was just lying.”

The young redhead, speechless and confused, watches as her sister marches past her, and meets up with her group of laughing friends a few feet away. They saw everything, but they mocked her for what they assumed was a fake soulmate’s drawing.

After all, what kind of eight year-old would get those markings?

Ruby absentmindedly touches the drawing again, the dull pain already gone, and frowns when she sees that the fish is fading. The gray lines almost disappear into her skin before the redhead kisses it.

“I know you’re real.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BLAKE DREW A FISH ON HER HAND BECAUSE SHE WAS HUNGRY
> 
> edit: the title of this story was not my fault


	2. What a Softy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yang needs new friends

Yang bites her lip, frustrated with the hot tears that stream down her face. She wipes at her face angrily, pushing back the sob that comes up her throat. 

She didn’t mean for it to come out, but it did, it happened, and now she’s suffering the consequences. Yang immediately runs for her room the second she opens the front door, ignoring her concerned dad, and locked the door to the bedroom she shared with Ruby behind her.

The blonde let herself slowly slide down to the floor, bringing up her knees to her face.

_ “You like girls?” her friend accused, recoiling away from her in disgust. The dark-haired girl turned to their equally shocked and repulsed friends. “What if her soulmate is a girl?” _

_ “How are you going to have babies?” _

_ “Don’t you want a family?” _

Yang barely noticed her nails digging into her skin until the sharp pain made her yelp. She hissed when she loosened her grip, her white knuckles gaining color again. Sniffling, Yang turned her palm up and winced at the crescent indents.

She used her other thumb to gently rub the skin, knowing that her soulmate must’ve felt some of it, or at least have the same marks right now.

_ I’m sorry. _

Soulmates don’t usually feel the pain of the other half, but they do gain whatever marks their other half’s skin, including drawings or wounds. Yang remembered the fish that once marred her skin, and tensed again.

Ruby had to have faked it.

There is no such thing as having more than one soulmate, so it just wasn’t  _ possible _ for Ruby and Yang to have the same soulmate.

Another sting, but this time on the back of her right hand, startled Yang from her thoughts. She used her sleeve to wipe away the tears again, and took a glance at her hand.

_ “Are you okay?” _

White words stared back at her. If she were a bit more fair-skinned she probably wouldn’t have seen it, but Yang was more sun-kissed than most, like her dad. Blinking away her blurry vision, Yang frantically searched for a pencil or pen to write back to her soulmate.

She didn’t question that instead of the black words she expected, snowy letters marked her skin. 

Finding a pen on the nightstand, Yang scrambled to sit down on her messy bed, scratching down words to respond back to her soulmate.

_ “I’m okay.” _

She wrote it with her left hand, but the poor handwriting could still be read. She impatiently waited for her other half to write back, and after two minutes passed, Yang concluded that was the end of their conversation. 

The blonde’s back hit the mattress with a soft thud, but a smile still lit up her face.

Her soulmate had been worried about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEISS IS A SOFTY


	3. "Good Morning!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the next chapter I think the chapters will start to get longer, but i dunno
> 
> oh hey look bitchboy is back

Her ears flattened against her skull, her head held low, unable to meet the heated gaze of the hot-headed boy in front of her. She flinched at the sound of his hand smashing into the hard bark of the tree they always met up at, wincing at his furious yell.

“How  _ dare _ they think I'm not old enough?” Adam growled, tugging his fist out of the tree with little to no effort. Blake glanced up in time to see his expression darken, his gaze locked on his fingers as he loosened them out. “I’ve unlocked my aura already! How could your father not accept me?” he fumed, directing his attention on the nervous cat faunus.

Blake tried to stutter out an explanation, “I-I don’t know, I’m sorry.” She looks away from the enraged bull faunus, instead turning towards the blades of grass below her.  “I could talk to him, if you want…” Blake trails off hesitantly, testing to see if it would pacify her friend.

His grin spoke more than his words ever could.

“Thank you, Blake,” he said gratefully, the angered look in his eyes disappeared in an instant. “I knew I could trust you.” Adam took in a few deep breaths and smiled at her, sitting down on the dirt, laying his head against the tree he punched a few moments ago.

Blake followed suit, still a little wary, but much more relaxed now that he wasn’t shouting. “Are you done?” she questioned dryly, raising her eyebrow at him. 

The crimson-haired boy scoffed, not bothering to look at her, instead gazing out into the deep blue waves of the ocean. The sight was one of the reasons why Blake chose the tree as their meeting place; it was absolutely breathtaking. 

With a huff, Adam shifted his head towards her direction again, mouth opened and ready to say something, until something caught his eye. He froze, and Blake realized her arm was tingling before he made a grab for her elbow.

She recoiled away from him, but he kept a strong grip. Blake wanted to shout at him to let her go, but his dark glare kept her silent.

“What is this?” Adam seethed, his tightening hold on her arm making her feel an overwhelming urge to run away. “Do you know what this is, Blake?  _ Answer _ me.”

She struggled not to shake from the sheer amount of rage dripping from his words, and took one glimpse at the skin on her forearm and tensed with fear. The fuzzy red letters embedded in her skin didn’t bring her joy this time, and all because of the addition of a new pair of eyes stealing glances at what her other half had to say to her.

Blake bit back her own anger, knowing it would do nothing but frustrate Adam further. “It’s my soulmate,” she replied in a terse manner, ignoring the bull faunus’ bark of humorless laughter. “My other half.”

He let go of her, letting her rub at the bruise he left behind. Adam took one look at the setting sun, and glanced back at her with an unreadable expression.

“It’s all a load of crap. Soulmates don’t really mean anything.”

Blake scowled at his retreating form, and despite the ball of doubt left behind from his sayings, she read the words on her arm with a soft smile on her face.

_ “Good morning!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Good morning!"
> 
> ruby honey im sorry


	4. Frozen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let it goo
> 
> let it goo
> 
> cant hold it back anymoreee

The cold prickled at her, but she was used to the frosty winds that came from living in Atlas. Nothing ever changed.

Looking out the window, all she saw were tiny snowflakes dropping from the sky, covering the ground in a white blanket. The sun was covered by clouds, the heat from its rays unable to melt the snow as efficiently.

Weiss remembered asking her parents, at one point, if she could play outside in the snow, like all the other children at her old school did. 

Her father berated her for such childish dreams, while her mother stood back, silently watching from afar.

She learned to never ask for something from her father again, not unless she was planning on being stubborn. Instead, she should demand. Her father’s paid instructor told her so.

Weiss idly tugged at the gloves on her arms as she gazed longingly at the snowy grounds. She would never dare remove the gloves, not after she realized she actually had a soulmate.

Jacques, her father, didn’t believe in having a soulmate. He hated the concept as much as he ranted on and on about the White Fang and the Faunus. If he found out about her soulmate, Weiss didn’t know what would happen.

It scared her.

Despite the light burning sensations scratching at her skin everyday, Weiss couldn’t bring herself to look at her other half’s words or drawings. She couldn’t get attached to someone who she may never meet. 

The heiress felt her other half trying to communicate with her again, snapping her out of her mind. Weiss refused the urge to pull down the cloth, and brought her hands together, clasping them, in an effort to keep herself from giving in again.

She did it once, but that was different.

Weiss thought that her soulmate might’ve been harmed at the time, so of course she was worried. As soon as she saw the lazily scribbled words shining like gold on her skin however, assuring her that they were fine, Weiss knew she couldn’t afford to talk with them again.

“Miss Schnee?” a quiet voice began, startling the heiress. The man who spoke, standing timidly by the door, smiled sheepishly, wearing an apologetic expression. He continued hesitantly, “I believe your parents have been waiting in the dining room for quite a while now.”

Weiss’ eyes widened.

She nearly lost track of time; her family always met to eat in the dining room around ten minutes from now, but today was special.

Today was her tenth birthday.

Weiss concealed her eagerness behind a polite nod, sending the new butler off with a tiny smile. She stole one last glimpse of the wonderland kept from her, pressing her covered palm against the cool window. 

One day, she’d be able to feel it.

* * *

_ “Where’s father?” Weiss questioned her mother, confused at his absence when he was usually present during big events like this one. It was her tenth birthday, many family friends, business partners, were invited. _

_ She was a bit disappointed to see little to no children her age roaming around. _

_ The white-haired woman stayed quiet, as if she hadn’t even heard Weiss. _

The heiress snuck out of the crowded room when she caught the sight of her mother leaving, already accepting the fact that her birthday wouldn’t be one to remember. Weiss figured she was going to check up on her younger brother, who wasn’t allowed to be at big event like this yet, but it didn’t bother her as much as it should’ve.

Weiss just wanted to spend time with her.

An itch began to spread underneath her gloves again, but Weiss ignored it. She kept her steps light against the shining floor. If it weren’t for the glow of the moon high in the sky, Weiss wouldn’t of been able to see her mother enter her father’s office.

Luckily, the door was kept ajar.

Tiptoeing closer to the edges of the doorframe, Weiss winced when her elbow hit the wall lightly, swallowing a yelp from escaping her. Biting the inside of her mouth, the heiress held her suddenly hurt arm close to her.

Before she could even begin to think about why her elbow felt bruised, Weiss heard her father’s cold voice freeze her blood.

_ “I don’t  _ care _ about her birthday.” _

She blinked, unable to properly register his words in her mind. Weiss felt like the world closed in on her, her father, and her mother; everything else was tuned out.

_ “Jacques, this is your  _ family _ —” _

_ “I don’t give a damn about this family! I could care less about what nonsense you plan for your children. Do what you like with them, so long as they don’t turn out like Winter. You do know she wants to be a Huntress, right?” _

_ “You won’t even attend your own daughter’s birthday party.” _

_ “I’d rather work here, in  _ my _ office, than put up with anything you planned for her.” _

Weiss tried to hold in the tears building up in the corners of her eyes, dread filling her stomach at the exchange her parents were having behind closed doors. Except they weren’t closed doors, and their child heard every single syllable.

_ “...Why did you even marry me?” _

With bated breath, Weiss could hear her heart thunder inside her ears, she stood as still as one of the hundreds of statues her family owned. It might’ve been a game, at one point in her life, with Winter, before her older sister grew distant, to pretend to be turned into stone. 

This time, it was anything but.

_ “You really want to know? Fine. The company. I don’t care about you, the children, or anything else. Without me, this company would’ve been torn to shreds. I saved you. And with Weiss, I have the chance to leave behind a legacy of greatness. Don’t ruin her like you ruined Winter.” _

She didn’t hear what her mother had to say after that.

Weiss ran back to her room, uncaring about the clapping of her shoes anymore. She threw the door open and slammed it shut just as firmly, the sound echoing in the empty hallways, no doubt, but it mattered very little to the heiress. 

Her heart felt like it was cracked, shattered, inside of her. Weiss didn’t know if anything could fix it. Rivers of tears flowed down her face, drops hitting her clothes and her blanket when she shoved herself into it, seeking the warmth it always brought her.

Everything felt cold.

It wasn’t as much of a surprise as Weiss thought it would be, but it still hurt. It stung at her very being, like it was being torn apart piece by piece the more his words rung in her ears.

The silk gloves running up her arms felt more confining than the blanket wrapped around her. Weiss flung them off her in a flash, glaring at the puddle of blue pooling at the foot of her bed.

Tonight, she wouldn’t hide whatever markings her soulmate made.

Her father wouldn’t like it, but Weiss only felt a sense of satisfaction at that thought.

Tonight, Weiss would embrace her soulmate.

She just wished she had a pen in her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i basically turned weiss into elsa
> 
> btw it was totally ruby and yang scribbling all over their arms throughout the story


	5. Glow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not uploading yesterday, i should probably come up with a schedule

A piercing pain startled her awake, the covers thrown off of her in her thrashing. Yang scanned the room with wide, terrified eyes in search of her attacker, but the darkness revealed nothing.

She jumped out of her bed, rushing towards the lamp between the two beds, and quickly ran to her sister. 

They might not have been talking ever since Yang accused her soulmate of being fake, something the blonde deeply regretted as soon as the words left her mouth, and she’s still be a little jarred that Ruby might have the same soulmate as her, but Yang would never let anything happen to her if she could stop it. 

Never.

Yang swiftly pulled her sleeping sister into a hug, attempting to fully cover her with her own body, and braced herself for an attack. She closed her eyes, tightening her arms around the redhead, waiting for it to hit her.

“Yang?” her sister mumbled tiredly, muffled by the blonde’s clothes. Ruby struggled to escape Yang’s hold, but the whimper of pain was what caused her to release her sister in a hurry.

After letting go of Ruby and glancing around the room again, Yang realized there wasn’t an intruder lurking in the shadows, holding a gleaming knife and a sick smile. She wanted to laugh it off, play it as a joke for her sister, but when her eyes landed on the purple bruise darkening on Ruby’s cheek, all her humor left Yang in an instant.

“Ruby, what happened?” she asked urgently, feeling like someone had knocked the air out of her lungs. 

The redhead blearily blinked up at her with a confused expression. Her eyes widened abruptly, jaw dropping in shock. “Your face is purple!” Ruby practically shrieked, scrambling to free her limbs from her blanket.

Yang furrowed her brows, reaching up to touch her cheek, until a loud bang frightened her. She heard Ruby squeak in alarm, and Yang moved to push herself in front of her again, only to let out a breath of relief when a dark-haired man tumbled through the door with a blond one not far behind.

“What’s goin’ on! Who’s there!” Qrow shouted, swinging his sword menacingly in the air. His glare disappeared when he saw the two girls huddled together, putting away his weapon after noticing the scared looks on their faces.

Tai immediately sprinted to his daughters, sliding down onto his knees, freezing up when he got a closer look at their faces. As their uncle neared the beds, keeping a close eye around the room, he nearly tripped as soon as he caught sight of the bruises. 

“Holy fuck,” Qrow blurted out, immediately slamming his hand against his mouth.

The blond sent him a chastising glare in response, deeply scowling at his sheepish friend, before addressing the girls softly.

“Do you two remember seeing anyone?” Tai questioned, gesturing towards Qrow to take a closer look at Ruby while he checked over Yang. He grazed a spot directly under her cheek, frowning when Yang winced slightly from discomfort.

Yang spoke up for the both of them, “No, I kind of just woke up after feeling something stab my side. I turned on the lights and saw Ruby like that.” She glanced over to her sister, worry shining clear on her face. “Is she going to be okay?” Yang whispered to her dad, a knot forming in her stomach. 

She should’ve been able to protect her. Yang regretted spending so many days telling Ruby that her soulmate wasn’t real; she should’ve been a better older sister.

“She will be, I promise,” he assured her, kissing her forehead lightly. Tai smiled down at her and stood back up, sharing a look with Qrow, who ruffled Ruby’s hair playfully. 

“She’s alright. It barely hurts, don’t it kiddo?” Qrow grinned at her glower, but Ruby reluctantly nodded. 

Oddly enough, the bruises were in the same spots on both of the sisters.

Yang saw the gears shifting in her dad’s eyes, knowing that Tai was trying to put together the pieces. He rubbed his chin, deep in thought, looking back and forth between his two daughters, until a faint glowing originated from the bruises they shared.

It was a dark, almost purple, light spreading against the injury, as if it were caressing their cheeks gently. Yang relaxed against the touch, wanting to lean into the warmth it brought, but it was gone as soon as it arrived. 

A few more purple glimmers surrounded their bodies simultaneously, one in particular wrapped around their stomachs and touched their upper backs. It was the same place that Yang rolled over on, the sudden pain waking her up.

Yang almost missed her dad pulling Qrow closer to him, whispering into his ear as the latter simply stared in awe at his nieces.

As the violet lights faded to nothing, Yang looked at her sister’s face, affirming what she assumed was what happened. The bruise that placed itself on her cheek was gone.

There really was no denying it now.

Tai coughed into his fist, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He cleared his throat again, and crossed his arms tightly against his chest. Yang could tell how awkward he felt.

“So, uh, nobody hurt you, not really, but, um, we need to talk. About your soulmate.”

* * *

Silence filled the room.

“So… you had more than one soulmate?” Yang asked hesitantly, fiddling with the edges of her shirt nervously. “It isn’t weird?”

Her dad smiled weakly at her, an unreadable expression crossing his face. “Yeah. It isn’t weird, no matter what anyone says.”

Qrow butted in, “And if anyone has anything to say about it, just let ‘em have a taste of the dirt you step on, firecracker.” He smirked knowingly at her from his spot on Yang’s bed, having long decided to sit down when Tai began giving the children the ‘talk’.

Tai rolled his eyes, bringing up a hand to rub his temples. He muttered, “Please don’t tell my daughter to hurt someone. Unless they touch your soulmate, then you have my permission to  _ ground _ them.”

Everyone groaned at his attempted pun.

“Get it? ‘Cause Qrow said dirt, which is like, the ground, and I’m a dad, so I ground my children, not violently, of course, but—”

“ _ Tai _ , please,” Qrow begged, more than ready to jump out the window to escape his friend’s babbling. Tai raised his arms in the air peacefully, and Qrow finally addressed the girls again. “I think we’re done here, so you two get some rest, alright? If you have any questions, we’ll talk more tomorrow. Goodnight, you little monsters.” He stood up lazily, eventually making his way out the door with a wave.

Their dad sighed with exasperation, but followed him soon after giving Yang and Ruby hugs. “Sweet dreams, girls,” he whispered kindly, softly closing the door behind him.

That left the two alone in their room again.

The blonde moved her fingers through her hair, laughing a little. “So we share a soulmate, huh?”

Ruby stayed quiet, keeping her gaze on the blanket in her hands.

Yang knew it wouldn't be easy to talk to Ruby again, especially after being so mean to her. Her younger sister looked up to her, and for someone she admired to go ahead and try to convince her that her soulmate wasn’t real? Or that she was faking it? 

Of course it’d hurt.

And all because Yang didn’t know how else to respond to a situation like the one they were in. 

She held her arm in a self-conscious manner, shifting her gaze towards her own bed, away from the silent redhead. “Ruby, I… I’m sorry.”

Yang shook her head angrily, unsatisfied with her apology. “I shouldn’t of said those things to you. For most people, the marks start appearing around my age, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen for you now. I just—I’m  _ so _ sorry for everything,” she emphasized gingerly, her voice cracking with raw emotion.

“And I’m not asking for you to forgive me, I-I just wanted you to know I’m sorry,” she finished lamely. The thought of Ruby not being able to forgive her hurting, but Yang didn’t know what else to do. As long as her sister knew that she was sorry, it was enough for her.

A sudden force knocked her onto her back, sending her sprawling against Ruby’s bed. Yang grunted from the unexpected impact, feeling a tightening squeeze from the red blur that tackled her.

“It’s okay,” Ruby reassured, hugging Yang for a few more seconds before shuffling back to her pillow. A bright and toothy smile lit up her face, and the blonde could only blink at how fast her sister was to forgive. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

Yang could only let out a sigh of relief, feeling the knot in her stomach loosen up. Of course Ruby wouldn’t hold a grudge. There’s still leftover guilt residing in Yang, but eventually she’ll be able to forgive herself for what she did.

As Yang flopped over to her bed, exhausted beyond belief, Ruby piped up from her own bed. “Since Dad said that soulmates have their own color, I think I might have another soulmate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter felt meh to me
> 
> I'll upload every other day: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
> 
> so yeah bruises fade away after a while, but they go out with a bang, or y'know, light up with the same color as the soulmate's aura and disappear, same thing


	6. Soulmates*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The large, and somewhat empty, room was occupied by the sounds of grunts and clunks of wood clashing together ferociously. 

Blake breaths rasped against her throat, the harsh panting cut off by another jab to her side, bringing her to crash against the padded floor. She cried out, almost letting the wooden sword slip from her grip. A shadow fell over her and swiftly approached her, but Blake brought up the weapon just in time to intercept the attack.

Her opponent growled deeply, a white mask covering half of his face, deep crimson lines running up to meet his similarly colored hair. The horns atop his head had grown in the in the past year he had joined the White Fang, looking far more sharper than they had before. 

And if Blake were being honest with herself, it scared her how different he looked.

She pushed him away with all her might, rolling out of his way and jumping back onto the balls of her feet, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her vision blurred for a moment, her exhaustion getting to her, the dark russet form of Adam rushing at her without hesitation at the same time. 

Blake panicked, the roaring of her heartbeat in her ears drowning out every other noise, and charged towards the masked boy in return, forgetting everything that was drilled into her before the spar began. She drew back the sword and prepared to swing it towards her enemy’s neck, only to have Adam duck underneath the blade as soon as Blake attacked, staying low to the ground.

She sliced through the air, faltering at Adam’s dodge. It was as though time had slowed as Blake stumbled back. Her widened eyes tracked his movements, watching in horror as he made to headbutt her stomach directly with his horns, completely disregarding the weapon in his hand.

It was as much of a hit to her body as it was to her pride.

Blake shut her eyes tightly, the brute force of the impact sending her flying towards the wall behind her. A bursting, sharp sensation bloomed from the center of her chest, the overwhelming amount of agony causing a piercing scream to rip from her throat.

The back of her head slammed against the hard surface of the wall, clouds of darkness suddenly surrounding her vision when she struggled to open her eyes. The cat faunus landed in a heap against the floor, the useless weapon far from her reach, having been knocked out of her grasp completely.

Before the black dots completely took over her vision, Blake saw Adam’s approaching figure, dimly wondering if the dark scowl painted across his face was the act he usually put up during spars, of if he was truly angered at her.

Then the darkness took her away.

* * *

The sound of kicks and punches were muffled, grunts of effort following not too far behind. A cold tingling crawled onto her exposed skin, the room having shifted in temperature since she passed out.

She struggled to open her eyes, still slightly dazed, only to be slammed with the burning pain from her chest again. Blake hissed, clutching at her shirt in a desperate effort to lessen the hurt, the silence suddenly filling the room, aside from her shallow breathing, alarming her.

Footsteps neared her, Blake’s tearful gaze landed on Adam’s masked face, an icy spike of fear entering her racing heart at the deep frown he wore. With him, it was always a full out rage, or it was a calm stoic exterior. It was never in the middle.

It was never disappointment directed at her.

Her chest tightened against her lungs, the pain surrounding the area exploding, and Blake had to gasp for air. She could barely recall when, but Adam had kneeled down beside her, the mask still sitting firmly on his face as he kept quiet, merely staring down at her as she trembled from the sheer agony erupting from the injury in the middle of her chest.

He really put all of his strength behind that attack.

They weren’t supposed to severely injure each other—it was a  _ spar _ —but Adam didn’t even seem to care.  _ He _ was the one who wanted to teach her how to fight;  _ he _ is the one that always takes it too far.

Blake could tell her ribs were bruised, at the very least, and it wasn’t the first time an incident like this happened. Previous injuries weren’t as painful as this one was, but she’s beginning to question if he was really teaching her, or if he was just using her as a breathing punching bag.

She clenched her jaw when another unbearable wave of pain hit, nearing her breaking point. Blake began to try to focus on something Adam idly brought up at one point. He only explained how to do it at the time, never truly teaching her, but she was desperate.

The faunus concentrated on the center of her being, her soul, and attempted to ‘unlock’ her aura. Adam told her to image that it was a lock, but no matter how hard Blake tried, the searing pain in her chest continued. Frustrated tears streamed from her closed eyes, the ears on top of her head flattening. Blake just wanted it to  _ stop. _

It hurt  _ so much. _

A cleansing feeling washed over her body in an instant, making Blake flinch, only for her to relax quickly afterwards. The pain dulled, and as miniscule as it was, it was enough for her to feel relief. 

Hesitantly blinking her amber eyes open again, Blake was stupefied to see the dark purple light surround her hand, only to follow the glow to the rest of her body. It fully surrounded her. If what Adam said was true, this was her aura.

“It’s going to take hours for you to heal.”

Adam’s voice broke her awestruck expression, an irritated frown replacing it. He continued as soon as Blake’s attention returned to him again, “It isn’t ideal to wait so long to activate your aura.”

She wanted to berate at him, but Blake bit her tongue. It wasn’t as if she had a  _ choice _ or even a  _ chance _ to activate it earlier. Blake settled with glaring at him the best she could from her spot on the floor.

“You were distracted earlier,” he stated, his tone as neutral as it can be. “Your soulmate, right?”

The cat faunus gritted her teeth, trying to sit up despite her ribs protesting. Blake spit out, “It’s none of your business.” Her breathing still came out in rasps, but she had to admit that her aura helped a great deal already. Blake, despite looking worse for wear, could tell her words brought out a bad reaction from Adam.

He was right, Blake felt the words being written into her skin all throughout the spar, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

The muscles in his jaw jumped, but Adam restrained himself. He replied after a moment, “I’m not trying to hurt you, Blake—” she could almost laugh at the irony of his word choice,”—I’m trying to _ help _ you. Right now, you won’t understand, but I have to try.”

Adam removed his mask and placed it beside him, making sure to stare directly into her defiant eyes. “Your soulmate is a distraction. It’s likely you won’t even meet him at all. If you want to join the White Fang—and we both know you do—you have to push him aside, and focus entirely on helping Faunus. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” His voice was gentle, very unlike him, but there was a genuinity behind his words that had Blake pausing.

Of course she wanted to better Faunus and Human relations, but how could she choose between her other half, or halves if Blake had to guess from the different colors scrawled against her skin, and her dream? 

“He’ll only drag you down, Blake. You’re going to change the world one day, and that’s bigger than your soulmate,” Adam coaxed, “I’ll help you every step of the way, but I need you to promise me something.”

Blake was writhing on the ground from a brutal attack that Adam delivered just minutes ago, but now she was listening to every word he said. In a twisted way, Blake could almost understand what he meant. At the same time, it was gut-wrenching to even think of giving up on the hope of meeting her soulmates one day.

“I need you to promise me that he’ll be second, that he won’t get in the way of your training anymore,” the redhead took one of her hands in his own, an uncomfortable feeling settling deep in Blake’s stomach. “And I’ll promise to change the world with you.”

A smile lit up his face, and for a moment, Blake could see the childhood friend she had made so long ago again. 

With a heavy heart, Blake made a vow that she regretted immediately. 

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aight so this chapter basically wrote itself and i have i ever told you how much i hate that bull guy?
> 
> So: Adam uses convincing words, wow it was super effective, blek plz 
> 
> (that was my first actual fight scene btw, starting off small)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed despite what's-his-face being a dick!


	7. Hug Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twice the ice

A puff of warm air escaped her, a small smile forming at the cloud that was made when it met the frosty atmosphere. She always enjoyed doing that when she was younger; it brought back nice memories. 

As she walked through the snow, Weiss couldn’t help but reminisce. The times where she and Winter would actually talk, even play pretend as a daring Huntress and a princess in distress. In the end, they would usually team up against the evil dragon, or the propped up pillows that played the part. Before Winter grew distant, she used to be Weiss’ best and only friend.

Now all Weiss has is a detached sister and fake friends that are starting to make their intentions perfectly clear.

The bitter wind picked up, the scarf she wore blowing back, but Weiss merely rolled her eyes and continued her stride to the courtyard. There were far worse weathers to bear than a little cold. While she wasn’t crazy enough to run out in her pajamas, the heiress simply took a coat that matched her hair, a nice scarf, and went on her way.

She was used to Atlas’ icy temperatures; Weiss could never understand why so many of her father’s business partners lamented and moaned about it.

The snow underneath her wasn’t too bad, but she was beginning to regret her decision to take the long way around when the light snowfall increased. Weiss had wanted to clear her head, preparing herself to meet up with a certain someone before she left, hoping to ground herself enough to say a proper farewell.

It would’ve worked too if it weren’t for the repressed memories rising back up to the surface, bringing a bittersweet smile to her face each time. 

Before she lost herself to those thoughts, Weiss tried to take in the nature around her. It was something her butler suggested she do every once in a while, a confident grin on his face as he informed her on how much good it’d do her to appreciate her surroundings, before it was interrupted by a loud sneeze. She did have to agree with him though.

To take in the way the snow sparkled under the shine of the sun, or to  _ really _ feel the air hitting her face, was freeing. It was a shame she could rarely adventure outside, but her father found it distasteful, and Weiss was obligated to do whatever he wished of her.

Yet, a part of her would always want to leave the walls that caged her.

Weiss noted that the fountain they were supposed to meet up at was now in sight, the looming symbol of a well-known snowflake bringing her pride, but it also brought a tightening feeling in her chest. It was supposed to be  _ her  _ symbol, yet Weiss couldn’t help but feel contained by it.

She tried her best to live up to whatever it meant to be a Schnee, but everyday her image of what a Schnee was got murkier and murkier.

The heiress heard the crunching of snow behind her, the familiar presence stopping beside Weiss, staring at the emblem that haunted them both. 

They two already knew why Winter called Weiss here.

“How are you?” the elder sister began, keeping her blue-eyed gaze on the snowflake in front of them. 

Weiss frowned. She replied with a clipped voice, “Fine. Not like you’d know.” The last part was muttered under her breath, and while Weiss felt guilty at treating her sister like this, another part of her wanted Winter to react—to  _ anything _ she did, really. It didn’t matter whether it was in anger or not. Weiss just wanted her sister to  _ talk  _ to her again. 

Her sister finally looked at her, a retort already on the tip of her tongue—Weiss could tell—but Winter clamped her mouth shut as soon as their eyes met. The heiress saw the way the walls tumbled down, watching as Winter’s shoulders slumped over slightly.

The older Schnee sister tried to smile at her sister, a certain type of exhaustion written all over her face. “I… I’m sorry, Weiss.” Winter looked back up at the snowflake, seeming to gather back her strength just from the sight of it. “I have to do this,” she tried to explain, “You knew the moment you got the title of heiress that this would happen, Weiss.”

She tore her eyes off of Winter, taking to numbly examining the snow gathering around her. Weiss could only trust herself to nod, not sure if Winter would see it, but she couldn’t afford to lose her cool.

“You have a responsibility now,” Winter repeated the phrase that Weiss had been telling herself for the past year or so. “When I leave for Atlas, he’s going to be harsher, stricter, and less fair to you. As heiress, you need to learn everything I was taught since I was born, and it’ll be hard to catch up,” her tone was hard, but Weiss understood what she was trying to convey. 

“You need to be prepared,” Winter finished off, straightening up her posture, the stony look back on her face.  “I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

Weiss doesn’t respond back, her mind jumbled from Winter’s words. They stay in silence for a couple of minutes, their eyes both eventually drifting to the Schnee emblem between them, on the fountain. 

It wasn’t long until Winter had to leave for Atlas.

The muffled buzz coming from Winter’s pocket alerted them both to the little amount of time they had together. Weiss shoves half of her face into her scarf, her hands burrowing deep into her coat’s pockets, and waited for Winter to leave. She wouldn’t be able to control herself if she saw her sister leave, off to Atlas for who knows how long, and Weiss couldn’t allow for weakness anymore.

She’s the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. 

And that job didn’t include crying over a beloved relative that she wouldn’t see for ages. 

“Weiss.”

But one look at the hesitant arms extending towards her, and Weiss barrelled into Winter, smothering her face in her sister’s shoulder as the tears began to drop. She tried not to bring too much attention to her crying, but with the hitch in her breathing and the shaking in her shoulders, Weiss already knew that Winter figured it out.

“I’ll try to call you when I can,” her older sister whispered, her hand rubbing Weiss’ back, instinctively trying to comfort her in whatever way she knew how. 

While being isolated from children their age and not really learning how to properly interact with others from their parents, the two sisters only had each other for a while. They still only had each other. Their brother was different from them; he was much closer to their father than the two of them. Winter was all Weiss had here.

“Goodbye, Weiss.”

But now Weiss was all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god Winter is hard to write 
> 
> There wasn't anything soulmate-ish here, but hope you enjoyed the Schnee Sisters having their little moment before Winter leaves to join the military
> 
> Little minor update: I won't be able to post a new chapter this Saturday because of personal life issues, sorry to the people who follow the story, BUT look forward to the next few chapters :) :) :) 
> 
> ;)


	8. "Normal Knees"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops

She whimpered at the stinging touch, backing away from the prodding fingers. 

“I could teach you hand-to-hand, Ruby.” The redhead stubbornly refused to meet Yang’s eyes, her sister's voice pushing out a conversational tone. “As soon as she unarmed you, it was like you gave up,” she then clarified, “You can’t rely on Crescent Rose all the time.”

The redhead knew Yang was only trying to keep her distracted—the forced jokes and grins made it clear to Ruby that she wasn’t as cool about what happened as she made it seem. 

Ruby winced at the cloth her sister continued to dab around the wound. The gash across her forehead wasn’t deep, but it was enough to worry her entire family, including Signal’s staff, all of which had been diligently watching over the fight. Somehow though, none of them could have foreseen her injury.

It was required for Ruby and her classmates to battle against each other for their final semester, to show their teachers how much they learned from all their strategy lessons. The excited and restless students had been waiting for this moment; Ruby could barely sit still while names were called, fidgeting all throughout the fights that were assigned by their teachers.

But once Ruby’s time to fight came, it was against the star pupil of her year. 

Everyone adored the young prodigy; Patch being a small island meant that its small population tended to praise anyone who showed skill at a young age. Ruby herself admired her—she didn’t stand a _ chance _ against Yang, but she was good. 

The determined redhead hadn’t been worried—they weren’t being graded on who won and who lost—but there was a gleam in her opponent’s eyes that unnerved her. 

The battle didn’t last long. The girl exploited her fatal weakness, managing to knock Crescent Rose out of her hands, that dark grin beginning to terrify Ruby. She tossed her around, keeping her away from her weapon with ease. 

Ruby didn’t want to admit it, but the comments her opponent threw at the redhead cut deeper than her final hit.

Slurs and muttered insults came forth whenever they clashed closely, about her rumored soulmates, about her lack of a semblance, all the way to taking a jibe at her absent mother. It stung so harshly that Ruby could hardly defend herself once her aura was completely depleted, her opponent continuing her barrage of attacks despite the supervisor declaring the match over just seconds before.

The click of the door shutting back in place brought her to the present again, Yang’s hand briefly pausing on the side of her head. 

Ruby tensed at the sight of her uncle leaning against the door, a tired sigh escaping him as he tried to smile at her. Qrow’s hair was far more ruffled and wild than it usually was, his clothes sharing the same level of unkemptness. He let loose another small breath, jaded eyes looking between Yang and Ruby.

“How’s it going?” he asked Yang first, pushing off the door to trudge towards the beds. “She still refusing to go to the hospital?”

She snorted. “Yeah. She is.”

“Fantastic,” he muttered, smiling fondly at Ruby despite himself. “I mean, it doesn’t look too bad. As long as you eat, drink some water, and  _ rest _ , your aura should take care of it in a few minutes or so.” Qrow took over Yang’s place, letting the blonde sit next to her sister on the bed as he wiped away the last of the dried blood.

Ruby knew he was avoiding the subject, his slow movements against her forehead revealing that much. Qrow pulled his hand away after a moment, finally looking Ruby in the eyes when he did. She tried to hide her nerves, the result being a sheepish grin that made her uncle roll his eyes.

“Alright pipsqueak,” he grunted out as he stood back up. With a nod to Yang, Qrow asked, “Think you can get some bandages and some food for her?”

The blonde took a hesitant glance in Ruby’s direction, looking like she wanted to stay here with her. Yang shut her mouth closed when Qrow directed a pointed look at her, reluctantly scooting off the bed and away from Ruby, sending her an apologetic smile before making her way out of the room. 

With the door closing behind her sister, the scythe wielder gulped nervously at the realization that her mentor was alone with her, preparing herself for a lecture about how she shouldn’t of let her classmate get the best of her. He sat down next to Ruby, his arm settling around her shoulders comfortingly, much to her confusion.

Qrow voiced his thoughts, “You did good, kid. Better than a lot of those other kids would’ve done against her—her parents have been teaching her since she learned how to walk, and trust me I’ve seen how serious they are with their training every now and then—so, I’m proud of you.” He shook her lightly, making her giggle.

He might not be around as much anymore,  _ something to do with work, _ he had said, yet Qrow somehow always managed to say the right words that calmed her down. 

“But,” his tone shifted, catching her attention again, “I’ve got a question for you.”

Before Ruby could panic again, he continued, “I’m not gonna yell at you, and I’m not gonna tell you what you should’ve done back there, but I was just wondering about something.” She let out a tiny breath of relief, her posture loosening. 

Ruby looked up at him curiously from her place next to him. “What is it?”

Her uncle answers without pause, “What did she say to you?”

She froze; the memories of the harsh snarls thrown at her, when no one else would be able to hear, making her flinch. Ruby couldn’t look at Qrow anymore, the worry in his face obvious when she withdrew from him. 

“It was nothing,” she lied, hoping to end the conversation there. “It was just, like, y’know, the usual kind of smack talk that happens when people fight,” Ruby weakly defends her statement, but she knew Qrow didn’t buy it for one second.

“Ruby.”

He didn’t rush her, but his voice was firm. Ruby didn’t need to look at him to know he was patiently staring at her, waiting for her whenever she felt ready. 

Qrow might be on missions more often now, but he still remembered how to talk with Ruby.

The redhead blurted out, “It wasn’t anything big—She was just saying stuff about my soulmates, and how mom probably left because of that, even though I know she was g-gone  _ before  _ all of that, and then she started saying stuff about how freaks like me could never be Huntresses, but I know that it’s stupid and I shouldn’t listen to her and it shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, but it  _ does _ and it  _ did _ and-and I’m just—I’ll stop now.” Her fingers caught the ends of her cloak, tightly clinging to them when she finished, slightly out of breath by talking all at once.

Ruby didn’t realize her shoulders were shaking until Qrow pulled her into a one-sided hug, the awkwardness from his motions almost making Ruby laugh. He  _ never _ initiated hugs. The dark-haired man coughed to clear his throat, the bed creaking underneath them when he moved into a more comfortable position.

“Do you believe her?” Qrow asked as gently as he could, and it was apparent he wasn’t used to comforting others. “Do you think she was right?”

She bit her lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, and nodded against her uncle’s shoulder. 

He sighed, his arms loosening from their hold around Ruby, pulling back enough from her to stare directly into her tearful eyes. Qrow had to shut and open his mouth multiple times until the right words came to him, the exhausted lines on his face becoming more noticeable every time he did. 

“Your mom… Your mom would never leave you willingly. Trust me—she  _ wouldn’t, _ ” he emphasized, the complete confidence in his words getting her attention. “And—listen, having more than one soulmate? It isn’t that rare, I’ve seen a heck of a  _ lot _ weirder. Here, in Patch, people are more… conservative in a way.”

Qrow paused, a thoughtful expression making its way onto his face. He resumed hesitantly, “And… remember, soulmates don’t always have to be your romantic partner.”

She perked up, confused, but curious. “They don’t?”

“Nah, they can just be your best friend if you want. It happens more often than you’d think,” Qrow replied, a smile forming at the awestruck look Ruby gave him. “For some people, they just don’t see the appeal in romancing their soulmate, others just can’t see themselves dating their soulmate, and sometimes people just aren’t attracted to their soulmate in any way. There’s a whole bucket full of reasons why, kid.”

He ruffled her hair fondly, ignoring the scowl and baleful glare she directed at him. “Whatever makes you happy is what I’d go for, pipsqueak.”

Ruby couldn’t help the uplift on the corners of her mouth, a smile lightening up her face. She fiddled with the fabric of her bed sheets idly, and dropped her head on her uncle’s shoulder, the healing injury on the other side of her head long forgotten by now.

“Thanks, Uncle Qrow.”

“Don’t mention it, kiddo,” he responded tenderly, a warm undertone to his voice. “Just wait until you’re a Huntress—you’ll show them all not to mess with you.”

Ruby laughed with her uncle, her joy bubbling back up to the surface. Hearing someone say that felt incredible; Ruby Rose the Huntress. It made her grin giddily.

She absentmindedly rubbed her arm, the talk of soulmates reminding her of the two she and Yang shared. Ruby could tell it was hard for her sister to accept, but for the scythe wielder, she was just happy to have them.

However, their two soulmates had been silent ever since Yang and Ruby woke up with bruises that fateful night.

They expressed their concerns to each other, but there wasn’t much they could do other than try to write to them and wait for a response that will never come. The only thing keeping Ruby and Yang from thinking their soulmates as… gone… were the scratches and bruises they’d still wake up to every now and then.

It worried Ruby to no end, she’d spend hours thinking about her soulmates at times. Entering Signal Academy, and leaving the normal public school for those not looking to fight monsters for a living, helped distract her.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Ruby realized Qrow had left his place on the bed and stood by the door with crossed arms and a smirk.

“Finally quit daydreaming?” he questioned teasingly, and at her embarrassment Qrow just chuckled heartily. Waving off her stammered apologies, he said, “Don’t sweat about it too much, I was leaving anyways. Tai should be here soon.”

Ruby scrambled to her feet, rushing to meet Qrow with a hug. “I’ll miss you,” she murmured.

He kissed the top of her head and whispered back gently, “Everything's gonna be alright, Ruby. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not uploading for a while, school is a thing I have to deal with, hope none of you mind if updates start to become irregular. I'll try to upload every week at the very least.
> 
> Also in case it isnt that clear, this chapter is set around two years before volume 1. Almost there guys


	9. Meow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this one is a lot longer

She grinned brightly and confidently, head held high as she marched through the crowd with her sister in tow, both of them making sure to stay close to the other. 

Yang took in the tall buildings, the unmistakable smell of…  _ cars _ much more present here than in Patch, and the constant movement that seemed to take place on the sidewalks. It was  _ new _ , to say the least, but she’d have to get used to it eventually. 

After all, the letter from Beacon confirmed that she’d be living in Vale for quite a while.

“Oh! Oh! Can we go in there?” Ruby gushed excitedly, grabbing Yang’s arm and pointing at a nearby weapon shop, barely keeping herself from jumping up and down. “Think of all the  _ material _ , Yang,” she bargained uselessly, disheartened when Yang shook her head.

The blonde kept walking, forcing Ruby to drag her feet to follow her. “You know that we’re here to check the city out for a week or so, not buy every weapon within arm’s reach, Ruby,” Yang replied good-naturedly, only to frown at the sight of her sulking sister when she glanced back.

With a groan—and a quickly whispered prayer—she muttered back, “We can check it out later.”

The way Ruby’s head immediately snapped up, a giant smile taking up half of her face, made Yang regret everything. At least she wasn’t upset anymore.

A high-pitched squeal from her little sister reminded her why Tai and Qrow never took Ruby to a weapons shop before, the one exception being when she made Crescent Rose. It was a wonder they could still afford food for Zwei after that shopping trip.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you—” Ruby repeated gratefully as she hopped back to Yang’s side. “I can’t wait!”

She needs to make sure any money Tai left with her for their trip was cut dramatically before Ruby could get ahold of it. Yang, despite all her worry and regret, smiled at her sister’s enthusiasm. “Just try not to take the whole store with you,” the blonde warned jokingly, even though a small part of her was terrified of the possibility.

As they continued their trek around the city, with Ruby pointing out anything that caught her eye, and Yang taking in her surroundings, noting any landmarks for when she’d take Bumblebee out for a spin, the two sisters got a nice sense of the city.

The streets weren’t as crowded the farther they got from the apartment Tai rented out for them, his job at Signal having been put on hold for the summer. He was insistent on having Yang figure out the city before starting the school year in Beacon, practically forcing the two sisters outside with a grin and a wave goodbye. 

She already memorized a few of the street names by the time she and her sister passed the third dust shop since they left the apartment, and Yang came to a realization that they were all owned by the same company Qrow could complain about for hours. For the most part, the dust shops in Patch were all small family businesses, never once had she seen the signature snowflake if it wasn’t on a magazine or online.

The blonde, contemplating, had her eyes drawn to the snowflake on the crystal clear window of the shop she and her sister are walking by. It looked beautifully untouchable on the cleaned surface, and for some reason it was different looking at it shine in person than it was through a screen on her television or a piece of paper.

Yang wanted to reach out to it, her fingertips barely grazing the edges of the emblem when a confused voice rattled her out of her mesmerized state.

“What’re you doing?” her sister piped up from beside her, having been watching Yang with furrowed brows for a solid minute. With her head tilted and her gaze flickering between the flustered blonde and the snowflake, Ruby continued, “Isn’t that the thing Uncle Qrow hates?”

“Yeah.”

“... _ So _ why are you looking at it like it’s the last cookie in the cookie jar?” Ruby narrowed her eyes at Yang, an accusatory tone in her voice as she said it. The small redhead crossed her arms when her older sister turned on her heel, marching away from the snowflake on the window.

Yang huffed when Ruby caught up to her effortlessly, rose petals drifting in the wind behind her. “I don’t know, it looked nice, I guess?” she answered halfheartedly, avoiding looking at her younger sister’s smug face. Ruby always liked when she managed to get the upper hand on Yang.

And it wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Ruby why, exactly, she felt reeled in by the snowflake, it was more like Yang had no idea how to explain it. How could she explain the feeling of wanting to hug a flat, printed snowflake?

Her sister made a noise of acceptance, and their walk resumed without anymore pauses.

* * *

The unexpected weight on her shoulder startled her, the blood already rushing through her ears, and instincts pushed her to swipe out her leg, knocking down her attacker in a single movement. The hand was immediately pulled back when the attacker landed on the ground with a grunt.

She reached back for the handle of her weapon, skidding around to glare at—

“Ilia?”

The chameleon faunus in question groaned in pain, holding the back of her head carefully, trying to muster up a weak smile in return. Blake dropped her weapon and helped her friend sit up, half-formed apologies spilling out of her. 

She waved it off nonchalantly. “It’s fine,” Ilia reassured the remorseful Blake, “I was just caught off guard—I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that, it’s my fault, I’m sorry.”

The cat faunus blinked, before shaking her head and chuckling under her breath, offering Ilia a hand to pull her up. “You always do that.”

“Do what?” was the innocent reply.

“Put all the blame on yourself,” Blake cut the bullshit, her dry tone causing Ilia to look away from her. “Not everything is your fault.”

The other faunus tried to come up with a response. “I-I don’t…” Ilia trailed off, looking away from Blake.

With a sigh, the cat faunus made her way back to her original spot. She slid down the wall, landing on the ground of the roof with a soft thud. Blake noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Ilia follow her hesitantly. 

A faint itching sensation underneath the ribbons on her arms got her attention, and she knew immediately who it was. Yellow didn’t talk to her anymore; White showed up once and never talked to her again, and it didn’t even seem like they were talking to her; Red might not of talked to her as much anymore, but they still tried to wish her a good morning or good night every once in a while.

Blake subconsciously grabbed her arm, her jaw tensing at the overwhelming desire to write back to her soulmate. Red hasn’t talked in weeks, and she had to put her worry aside—in case Adam noticed.

“Your soulmate?”

She jumped and inhaled sharply, her head snapping to the side to see Ilia’s gaze fixated on her arm. 

Nobody in the White Fang talked about their soulmates, not unless they were in the organization with them. She could count the coupled soulmates she knew in the White Fang on both of her hands—they usually made for quite the fierce duo in battle. As far as Blake knew, Ilia never mentioned her own to anyone, and that wasn’t unusual.

Blake ignored the subject change for Ilia’s sake. “Yeah,” she responded tersely, shifting her arm across her lap when the chameleon faunus continued to stare at it with an unreadable expression. Blake resumed with more of a pointed tone than she thought, “Is there a problem?”

Ilia blinked out of her staring, stammering, “N-No! I was just—I didn’t know you had one, you-you never talk about—” The chameleon faunus rambled apologies under her breath, the spots on her skin turning a bright rose shade as she sunk in on with embarrassment.

Her friend’s wide-eyed panic calmed her, in a way, reassuring Blake that Ilia didn’t harbor any ill intents. Not like other people.

Not like Adam.

Putting an end to Ilia’s embarrassment, Blake puts her hand on Ilia’s shoulder, her words cutting off in an instant. The other faunus glanced between the hand and Blake in confusion, her spots fading from the rose-tinted pink.

“It’s okay,” the cat faunus said, “I just… Adam…”

Ilia failed to hide the disgust on her face. “Don’t tell me he’s your—”

“No.”

“—Good.”

Gazing up at the silver moon that seemed to call to her, Blake weakly replied, “He isn’t  _ that _ bad.”

Ilia’s silence spoke volumes.

She never liked Adam, and she didn’t try to conceal it when they were alone. Her friend could barely talk to Adam without gagging to Blake in private afterwards.

Blake let her shoulders droop, unable to find anything to say to Ilia that would change her mind about Adam. Even she was conflicted when it came to him now. How could Blake defend him when his actions went against everything she stood for?

Her tired gaze found the moon again, and somehow, its light soothed her fears and her worries. The silver glimmer never failed to calm her. At times, Blake even wanted to try and reach for it, but she’d catch herself shortly afterwards, chastising herself for trying the impossible.

She was lost. If tomorrow’s mission went downhill—like it always does when the masked bull faunus is involved—she had no clue what she’d do. Her ears flattened against her skull, the back of her head hitting the wall as hard as she dared.

She briefly wondered if Ilia noticed her, but if she did, she never said a word. Blake internally thanked her understanding friend. 

They spent the rest of the night under the moon’s light, in silence, until the warm rays of the sun began to hit them.

* * *

The reflection mocked her.

Pale skin—living up to her name as always—and a symmetrical face, if it weren’t for the thin, jagged line running down the side of her face. Her face was pulled into a deep scowl, the image she used to have, of perfect, was gone.

Yet that wasn’t why she was upset.

She was more upset about how free she felt. It shouldn’t feel so liberating to be marred on the one spot of her body that mattered the most, the one part that everyone looked at and judged in an instant. But she couldn’t deny the weight that was lifted off her shoulders when her father’s jaw tightened the first time he realized her aura hadn’t fixed what the knight did to her.

Weiss’ eyes shifted towards her hair. The side ponytail felt just as relieving, but even more because of the fact that it was on  _ her _ terms.  _ She _ chose to style her hair differently.  _ She _ chose to defy her father in the spur of a moment.  _ She _ was in control. 

The scar running down her eye only proved the opposite.

Before she knew it, the mirror in front of her laid shattered. A dull roar in her ears and her outstretched arm gave her enough of an idea as to what happened. Weiss pulled back her fist from the cracked glass, surprised to find a light blue glow shimmering over her hand. She hadn’t realized she activated it.

Luck was on her side it seemed.

Weiss isn’t sure if she could handle another reminder of what little control she really had.

Drawing in a few deep breaths, the heiress stared back at her broken reflection. The mangled person glared back at her with a familiar fury burning deep in her icy sapphire eyes. A blink, and the angry reflection disappeared, replaced by someone with a lost expression.

Weiss turned around on her heel, puffing her head up high as she walked out of the bathroom. She reached for the gloves by her bed, pulled them on without a second thought, and marched out of her room. 

The heiress spared a glance out the window panes arching against the walls, the burning sun doing little to actually heat the frigid hallways. Despite this—despite  _ knowing  _ she had little time for distractions—the bright yellow of the sun always caught her eye. In some ways, it even reminded her of the shine the moon had.

Both of them never failed at leaving her staring in awe.

So Weiss wasn’t surprised when she caught herself stepping closer to the window—to the  _ sun _ —but she was surprised to hear footsteps from the other side of the hallway.

She turned her head, only to wish she hadn’t.

Her brother raised an eyebrow at her appearance, his own outfit neat and tidy. The complete opposite of her at the moment. Whitley took his time with his steps as he neared her, the unimpressed look he directed at Weiss making her scowl.

“Did you get run over by horses on your way out of your room?” Whitley asked sharply, a sneer firmly placed on his face as he barely concealed his disgust. Weiss knew how disheveled she must look, but her jaw tightened at his words.

She shook her head. “Not now, Whitley. I have to talk with father.” Weiss sidestepped around her annoying sibling, only to freeze at his scoff. It was too confident for her liking.

“A shame. I was really hoping you got run over, but you always do disappoint.” His petty insults were nothing new, but Weiss couldn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach. She turned to face him, a knowing smirk only deepening the feeling.

“Even your soulmates will come to realize that. If they haven’t already that is.” 

Weiss had Myrtenaster in a death grip a beat later, the tip of it digging threateningly into Whitley’s neck. His face fell, his hands held up in an effort to not seem completely terrified like she knew he was. Just seeing the blood drain from his face was satisfying enough.

He cleared his throat, feet shuffling backwards—away from Myrtenaster—slowly. “L-Let’s not get barbaric, right, sister?” Weiss’ keen eye caught the shiver that ran down his spine, not from the usual frigid air in this part of the mansion, but from the dark glare she directed at him.

“How did you know?” she demanded in a bark, her weapon still pointed at her brother. “How did you know about them?”

Whitley, despite his obvious fear, managed to smile at her in a way that had her blood boiling. “It’s a wonder what the staff hear or see around here, isn’t it?” He glanced back down at her sword. “If you put that away, I’ll tell you more.”

“I’ll put it away as soon as you tell me more.”

His smile dropped into a deep frown. “You wouldn’t really hurt me, would you? Imagine the scandal that would cause. Not to mention how father would react.” Whitley had backed away enough that he could look at Weiss without the cool steel touching his skin.

She gritted her teeth in a fit of anger. Weiss loosened her white-knuckled grip on the handle of her weapon, bringing it down and placing it back against her hip. “Talk.”

Whitley immediately relaxed into his usual posture, his chin held high and his hands behind his back as his eyes met her own challengingly. “You know, you aren’t as clever and sneaky as you believe yourself to be, right?”

She refused to answer him until he answered her.

He hummed thoughtfully, “And all I had to do was ask a few of the staff if they knew why you were so…  _ you _ . Apparently, you weren’t always like this when Winter still lived here. They even told me you used to  _ laugh _ , that’s funny, isn’t it?” Whitley took careful steps towards her, some chuckles escaping him. “I could never imagine that.”

She took in a calming breath. “Who knows?” Weiss asked stiffly, hoping to get a straight answer from him for once.

“Huh. I can’t really seem to recall, but that shouldn’t matter anyways. You’re leaving aren’t you?”

Weiss had to ball her hands into fists, barely refraining from shaking in her rage. She spit out, “And father? Do you plan on telling him?”

Whitley circled around her—like a shark, she dimly noted—and made a soft noise at her pointed words. He replied nonchalantly, “I don’t see why I would ever betray my sister like that. After all, she would do anything for me, wouldn’t she?”

She tensed, understanding exactly what her brother was implying. Deciding to cut to the point, Weiss snapped out, “What do you want?”

He merely tilted his head to the side with feign innocence, an indignant look on his face. “Why, my dear sister, I don’t want anything. At least, not now,” Whitley finished with a proud smile. 

Before Weiss could even think of wiping it off his face, he remarked, “Aren’t you late for your talk with father? If I heard right, your final performance is in a few days. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to push my luck by being late, but then again, I’m not you.”

She was already halfway down the hallway by the time he stopped talking.

“Good luck, sister!”

* * *

A tiny meow caught her attention, a black cat with glowing yellow eyes peered down at her from a window ledge. She smiled at it, her steps slowing to a halt before she knew it.

The cat seemed to have already lost interest in her, more than comfortable to sprawl down on its belly to sleep instead of paying her any attention. The redhead shook her head, and continued her walk.

It was happening more and more often.

At first it was getting lost in thought while admiring the snow in the winter, then feeling an urge to take a stray kitten home she spotted one day while walking back home from Signal. Ruby wasn’t sure why it always seemed to be connected to either cats or snow, but it was something she filed for later. One day she’d figure it out.

For now, Ruby was fine with her newfound appreciations. 

With a sigh, the redhead tugged her cloak closer to her, suddenly feeling grateful for the red gloves covering her hands when a brief, cool breeze hit her. She might not entirely like why she bought them—but it was routine and the flashes of fear that kept her from taking them off for too long.

It was selfish. Ruby couldn’t help but wince at that thought, her hold on the edges of her cloak tightening. She was scared of someone else finding out about her soulmates—and in turn, treating her differently, maybe even find her repulsive.

Qrow’s final talk with her before he left on his last mission helped some, but the response to the incident at school from the students quickly changed her mind.

The gloves didn’t change anything, she still loved her soulmates, even if she’s ever met them, but it helped calm her down knowing she had a barrier of some kind.

Sometimes she likes to think that the barrier isn’t to keep the rest of the world from seeing her soulmates, but to keep her soulmates from witnessing the cruel taunts she would get every now and then.

It helped.

Ruby shuddered at another blast of wind, the cold biting at her face. She scrunched up her nose, resisting the urge to sneeze. It took almost all of her self-control, but the redhead managed to keep it in.

Rubbing her itchy nose, Ruby blinked when she noticed the dust shop she was searching for was far closer than she originally thought. She grinned excitedly.

Her boots skid across the sidewalk as she came to a stop in front of the shop effortlessly, taking glee in the rose petals that flitted in the air, trailing the path she had taken. If Yang were here, she’d be rolling her eyes and struggling to catch up with her smug sister.

Ruby skipped inside, giving the old man behind the desk a happy wave, and headed directly towards the magazine section she spotted out from the window during her little run. She may be there to stock up on dust—mainly because dust was a  _ whole  _ lot cheaper here than it was in Patch—before they left Vale tomorrow morning, but Ruby couldn’t deny herself a tiny peek at those magazines Qrow forbade her from touching. 

She scoffed. He  _ really _ hated that fancy snowflake.

Pulling the headphones from their perch on her neck, Ruby turned up her music and flipped a page from the magazine she picked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so.
> 
> This was meant to not exactly have a "story" story, if you get what I mean, but now it does and hhh i like it a lot. Ive already outlined the entire story, but the chapters before this one are probably gonna be the first thing I edit whenever I get the time.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and I'd love to hear your thoughts(im not thirst for comments, what??? psh)!


	10. Crash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alkdsjfh hi please read the notes at the end, hope you enjoy!

She let out a breath as the ship finally took off from the ground.

The turn of events from a few days ago were completely unreal. Ruby hadn’t expected the robbery to take place, let alone stop it, but she did. And somehow, it made her feel like a hero—it felt like the beginning of those stories Yang always read to her. 

It felt like a dream. 

Flashes of that night sped through her mind. Only one memory stayed as clear as day to her; the headmaster of Beacon Academy offering her the chance to enter, something that had been her dream for as long as she could remember. Ruby was more than ecstatic—she was surprised she wasn’t floating by how feather-light she felt.

Another part of her was doubtful. The little voice would whisper into her ears, all her fears brought to the surface with a few piercing words. There was no way Ruby could be on the same level as those two years ahead of her. She was nothing compared to Yang, or any of her friends.

It wasn’t possible.

Even if Qrow mentored her as much as he could, with Yang and Tai (as well as they could), Ruby still wasn’t the best. She couldn’t be. She was  _ average  _ at best—all of her combat grades said so—and nothing more.

Ruby scooted closer to the window, staring down at the small island that grew smaller and smaller the father the airship flew away. She dimly wondered how long it would take for her to start missing the smells of the salty air from the ocean. Or the way the birds would chirp their songs by her window every morning, followed by the echoes of woodland animals chattering far away. Or how her dad would have breakfast waiting for her, with Yang sluggishly making her way out of the bedroom long after Ruby began eating.

She already missed it.

A deliberate cough had Ruby blinking out of her longing, turning to face her sister standing beside her. Yang’s smile hid a mischief that Ruby was used to, matching the sparkle in her lilac eyes.

“So, how long do you think it’ll take for dad to get rid of Zwei?”

Ruby was left sputtering, staring at Yang like she’d grown another head. “Dad wouldn’t do that! He loves Zwei!” she protested, crossing her arms.

Yang raised an eyebrow, a big grin on her face as she took a seat next to Ruby. “Without us, Zwei’s gonna tear up the house. I bet you twenty that dad’s going to find a way to have us take care of Zwei by the time our first semester ends.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes and stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

The blonde shook her hand firmly, a knowing smirk on her face that had Ruby regretting her decision. Yang warned her, “No going back on that one. Now, wanna talk about it?”

The smaller of the two sisters gave the other a lost look. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about why you were so quiet. Ever since we left this morning, you haven't said a word to me until now.” Yang’s face was devoid of any judgement, only bearing a soft smile with equally kind and understanding eyes. “Is everything alright, Ruby?”

She bit her lip, and glanced at the crowd walking around the ship, some merely standing by and observing the view outside in awe, while others animatedly conversed with their friends. Ruby’s shoulders drooped.

“No,” she whispered back. “I-I don’t feel like I  _ earned _ this—I didn’t get here like everyone else did, and I don’t even know why or how!” Ruby sunk in on herself, trying to make herself smaller. “I’m not the smartest. I’m not even the strongest. I don’t want everyone to think I am when I’m not.”

A steady hand pulled her in closer, Ruby’s yelp going unnoticed by her older sister. 

The blonde kept her in a half hug. “You know, I always thought you were better than everyone else in your class, heck, probably even your school—” Ruby wanted to interject, but Yang held up a finger, signalling her to wait. “I know what you’re going to say. She beat you  _ once, _ and that was years ago. You’ve improved, whether you see it or not. When we go out with dad to hunt the Grimm in the woods, you’re like a different person.”

She grinned down at Ruby. “You practically destroy them with a single look.”

“I don’t—”

“You probably didn’t realize it, but you’re a lot better against monsters than other people,” Yang interrupted with a matter-of-fact tone. She lets go of Ruby’s shoulder, instead reaching for her hand between them. 

Yang grasped Ruby’s hand, bringing them up for the redhead to see. “Human or faunus, you always hold back when you’re fighting against one of them. You can’t bring yourself to fully let yourself go like you do with Grimm.”

She squeezed Ruby’s hand for emphasis, her face softening. “And no one can blame you for that, Rubes, but for the Vytal Festival this year, we need to work on it.”

Yang dropped her hand, giving Ruby a patient smile. “Give yourself some credit—you’re better than you think.”

Ruby stared at Yang.

On one hand, she wanted to believe her, taking in all the facts that she knew were true. Ruby  _ knew _ she was better off against Grimm than other people.

Yet, on the other hand, Ruby would always have her doubts and insecurities.

It helped knowing that the one person who knew her best believed in her abilities unwaveringly, but she couldn’t help the small twinges of doubt. Ruby still smiled back at Yang, grateful for what she said.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t worry—”

A news broadcaster cut her off, the volume of her voice drastically turned up by one of the passengers aboard the airship. Yang turned to glare at it, muttering under her breath, but Ruby zeroed in on the mug shot of the man she had run into that caused her enrollment.

His smug grin was the first noticeable feature she saw, next to his brightly colored hair. Ruby narrowed her eyes, finally tuning into what the reporter was informing of his status.

“—Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa.” The screen changed to show the photo of a protest—all faunus—but Ruby found herself focusing on what the first reporter had said.

He still wasn’t caught.

There was a small part of Ruby that held onto the hope that the police were somehow able to catch the criminal after she left with the huntress. But he wasn’t. He got away. A ball of worry grew in her stomach, the thought of someone like him still out there setting Ruby on edge.

She reasoned that there were hundreds of others like him on the run; the police would handle it. It was their job after all.

Ruby’s nerves shot up at the sound of the screen fizzling out, revealing the familiar stern face of the huntress that saved her days before. Slowing down her thundering heartbeat, Ruby sneaked a glance at Yang, unsure if the blonde noticed her jumpiness.

Yang’s line of sight honed in on the hologram of the woman that, frankly, terrified Ruby. “Who is that?” she whispered lowly to the redhead, curious of the caped huntress addressing them with an edge in her voice, looking beyond exhausted despite her best attempts.

Ruby resisted shuddering at the sight of her again.

“Hello, and welcome to Beacon!”

* * *

There was a distinct difference between the air in Vale and the air in Atlas.

Atlas was cold. Everything from the literal winds, to the dying strays refusing handouts that rarely happen. Nearly all living there had grown tough shells to protect themselves, only a select few daring to wear their hearts on their sleeves, risking everything to feel like themselves.

It was never something Weiss could understand. 

Of course, kids her age would be sensitive to nearly everything, but Weiss knew they hid themselves just as well as she did sometimes. Especially those of noble blood. They were the true demons; masking themselves with charming smiles, drowning in their own wealth. Weiss couldn’t even muster up how much disgust she felt towards them—she was, after all, cut of the same cloth.

In Vale, it was warm. The sun burned just a little brighter everywhere she turned, the air sticking to her skin like glue. Her lips curled at the beaming grins directed her way, the genuine greetings they would deliver to her, as if they knew nothing of how to treat the wealthy. 

Weiss couldn’t believe how nice they were. Stray cats would be fed regularly, corner after corner, and never once did it seem unusual to the citizens for it to be so. She was flabbergasted by the doors that would be held open for others without expecting anything in exchange.

Faunus walked around casually— _ carefree _ —and nobody batted an eye.

It wasn’t long until she had to cut her visit short, concluding that she had seen enough of the city for her stay at Beacon.

Weiss stared motionlessly out the window, down at the same city below her. Flocks of birds would pass by occasionally, and instead of ruining the image of the tall buildings, they only added to it. She had to give it to Vale; while it was…  _ different _ … it was welcoming.

She let herself examine the view from above, calm and collected inside the private airship her father insisted on her riding. Weiss didn’t object. She’d heard  _ plenty _ of what went on inside public planes.

The tiny dots barely resembled humans by the time the clouds became a blanket over the windows. The heiress straightened her posture, growing rigid.

They were close.

Her gloves felt too tight and confining, an overwhelming urge to remove them hitting her, but Weiss was used to the feeling by now. They hadn’t talked in so long, it worried her, but as much as she’d want those red-colored words reassuring her, or the sunset-tinted jokes to make her crack a smile, Weiss couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t bring herself to write to them again.

The airship landed with a jerk, and a nervous apology stuttered from the pilot. 

“It’s fine,” she said, her voice sounding distant.

A few of her butlers, who had been assigned to her for her transition, stood and took care of her luggage stationed at the backend of the ship. Weiss closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, and gripped the arms of her seat tightly.

There was a feeling in her stomach, churning uncomfortably, that had Weiss uneasy. It made her skin crawl, warning her of something, but she pushed it aside.

Weiss let her fingers loosen, and stiffly got up from her seat, nodding her thanks to the pilot, and joining her butlers outside. She blinked back at the sudden brightness that attacked her, suppressing the reflex to scowl.

“Ms. Schnee?” one of her butlers spoke up. “We’ll take these to the entrance, and get you signed in. Your father paid for the staff at Beacon to—”

“—take the rest inside, yes, I know.” Weiss felt the last of her patience dwindle. At this point, she just wanted to get the day over with. “Thank you,” she finished off in a kinder tone, sending her butlers a strained, but grateful, smile.

Their shoulders relaxed, her smile returned. She watched as they rolled her luggage, sighing in relief.

One step closer.

Weiss followed closely behind them, not bothering with idle conversations. They didn’t seem to mind. 

Not that far away, another airship—a  _ public _ one—landed, dropping off the passengers inside.

A blond boy stumbled out, scrambling for the trash can nearby. She scoffed; what she heard of public airships had to have been true. 

The tight, coldness clutching at her chest grew more uncomfortable, doing nothing other than bother Weiss. It only made an already stressful day  _ worse. _

She barely noticed how tense her jaw was until her other butler coughed, looking hesitant in addressing her. At the expectancy in her expression, he pointed at the luggage and voiced, “We’ll leave these here. Have a good day, Ms. Schnee.”

It wasn’t until he scampered off with his companion that Weiss realize they were both faunus. Her mouth opened before she could stop with herself—not knowing what she’d say, only that she  _ had _ to say something—but they were gone by the time she could form words.

Weiss slammed her jaw shut, working it around as she contemplated. Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration as she did.

Once she really thought about it, they  _ weren’t _ the only staff members the Schnee family had that were faunus. A majority of them weren’t human, in reality, Weiss just… never noticed.

This discovery unsettled her, and unlike other times, Weiss couldn’t seem to shake it off like she usually did. 

She bit the inside of her mouth, her frown only deepening.

A crimson blur snapped her out of her thoughts, followed by a deafening crash. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.) in case you haven't noticed, the chapter names are all silly and i love them
> 
> 2.) chapters are starting to get longer, so updates might get a bit slower BUT—
> 
> 3.) —you can harass me at ArmedAndReddy on Tumblr (i might upload some oneshots soon that are unrelated to Soullination)
> 
> 4.) earlier chapters will start to be edited soon, so look out for that!
> 
> Please dont forget to comment! :D


	11. A Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy _fuck_ has it been a while.. sorry for the long wait!

Her heart quite literally jumped into her throat.

There was nothing like it. She’d never felt anything even  _ similar _ to the light, tingling feeling deep in her stomach. She wanted to blame it on the change of weather, or how different the times were in Vale from Atlas, but she couldn’t. Everything inside of her was thrumming with an energy she couldn’t name. She’s traveled outside of Atlas before with her father; it wasn’t logical for her to believe the weather from Vale caused the odd sensation.

Not when she found it hard to breathe the second she locked gazes with a beautiful silver, shining in such a way that she hadn’t found in most jewels and gems nobles wore proudly. It was the kind of glimmer that could  _ never  _ be replicated. The kind that tended to steal all the air from someone’s lungs.

And it was the kind to captivate anyone immediately, even her.

Weiss nearly forgot why she stomped over to the downed girl, her fists long since loosening by her sides. It wasn’t until she took notice of the littered cases scattered across the path again, surrounding the girl she had been gawking at so shamelessly (which will never happen again if she had anything to say about it), that Weiss remembered.

Pulling herself together, the heiress glared at the redhead, who merely blinked back slowly, almost like she herself was coming out of a dream. “What do you think you’re doing?” Weiss took note of how the girl tensed, backing away instantly after her harsh tone registered in her ears. It seemed like the redhead didn’t have much of a spine.

Good. It only made Weiss’ job easier to do.

The red-hooded girl scrambled onto her feet. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” She ducked down to pick up a case, only for Weiss to remove it from her clumsy grasp with a practiced sneer. 

There was absolutely no way Weiss would entrust anything with her after  _ that  _ display. The culprit before her truly had to be lacking any grace to fall over such a large baggage that obviously held precious items, such as dust. 

Directing the immature girl a scowl, Weiss took a deep breath in to ready herself, preparing herself to lash out a stern lecture.

* * *

The sun bore down on her skin like it was ready to melt her at any moment. Still, it wasn’t as bad as Menagerie’s heat, and for that Blake was grateful. If she liked one thing about Vale, it did have to be how much cooler the air was when it blew through her hair. If it weren’t for her bow, Blake was sure that her ears would be twitching with every hit of the wind.

She didn’t dare remove that piece of cloth however.

Blake tensed when a human bumped into her shoulder carelessly, fully prepared to fight for her life if she needed to, but instead she was left behind with her paranoia, staring at the rushed man’s back as he picked up his pace. Letting her shoulders drop slightly, Blake eyed the man, taking note of his disheveled clothes—all torn, pale and worn out—and came to the conclusion he was just like any other roaming the streets visibly at such an early hour from this side of Vale.

He was a worker, like most who lived in the lower-income area of Vale. Blake saw many like him throughout her time in Vale, but she also saw criminals who fed off of dedicated workers trying to earn as much money as possible like him. Abandoning her position in the White Fang and choosing to live on the streets hadn’t been what Blake wanted; no one  _ wanted  _ to live like this. However, it was the only way she would achieve her goal.

Blake wanted to make things right. For her to do so, she needed to become what both faunus and humans alike love; she needed to become a huntress.

She continued her trek through the town, pulling out a slip of paper given to her, Blake confirmed her path to the airship that was meant to take her up to Beacon Academy, humming thoughtfully. Shoving the paper back into her pocket, Blake marched on with a determined look on her face.

She  _ would _ become a huntress, no matter what it cost her.

Not long after, the sight of the steel ship came into view, along with a myriad of what Blake presumed were soon-to-be students. They all looked so eager and nervous, only a handful appeared confident or nonchalant about the ordeal. Blake considered herself part of the latter group.

After all, it’d do her no good to start doubting herself when she was inches away from taking her first step to changing everything. She had to believe in herself, because if she didn’t, who else would?

The doors to the ship creaked closed, a tiny wince taking over Blake, but she restrained herself from showing how much it bothered her to hear each gear grinding against the other, metal sliding against metal. Having sensitive hearing had its ups and downs, Blake just wished she could say she experienced more ups than downs so far.

Sighing, the faunus situated herself far away from the others in the airship and took a free corner. Hopefully everyone took the hint and strayed from the thought of having a conversation with her.

Blake wasn’t here to make friends; she doubted anyone would even want to be her friend if they found out exactly who she was and what she did—the  _ screams  _ she’s heard—but that was okay with her. Her goal didn’t require her needing to make friends.

* * *

She didn’t expect it, but there was worse that could’ve happened.

Blake had spent the entire ride to Beacon Academy reading her book, both as a way to fend off any talkative people and to distract herself, but when the airship finally landed, something held her back from entering the school. She didn’t like to think of herself as impulsive, but Blake did admit to having a trend of following her instincts more often than not. They haven’t let her down yet.

However, after feeling the heat of an explosion radiating on her skin, it wasn’t exactly what she anticipated would happen. Blake tucked her book aside hastily, her eyes darted to where she believed the explosion originated. Luckily, the smoke was light enough for her to see through it, but before she could make anything out, a bottle landed by her boots.

Blake picked it up, her body already moving to help whoever caused the blast, until her fingers grazed over an engraving on the glass bottle of dust. She froze; not many dust companies created glass bottles full of dust with drawings engraved on the outside, considering how many of them barely had the money to stay afloat anymore.

Turning it over, her jaw clenched at the sight of the wretched snowflake glaring back at her ruthlessly, mocking her. It angered her that someone would use Schnee dust, but Blake couldn’t fault whoever bought it—as much as she wanted to smack sense into them—since it was all anyone could buy these days, it seemed. The Schnee Dust Company personally made sure it was hard to find any cartridge of dust that wasn’t owned by them.

Biting the inside of her mouth, Blake refrained from throwing the bottle against the stone path. Instead, she gripped it tightly, and glanced back up as the smoke began to clear—only to have a spike of fear lodge itself in her throat.

It was  _ her. _

The white cleanliness of her clothes were untouched by the grey puffs of clouds surrounding her, just like her pale skin. Her snowy hair trailed behind her in a wave—Blake ignored the urge to run her fingers through it—and the crown piece on her head didn’t seem to scream about how arrogant the girl was now that Blake saw her up close. She’d even say that it fit her perfectly. 

The Schnee looked like royalty.

Inhaling sharply at the unwelcome thought, Blake turned away. She ignored the frightened girl next to the heiress, as well as pushing aside the ache in her chest when she did so. Blake, with stiff shoulders, made the decisive decision to take a walk before joining her peers in the school.

She needed to clear her head.

* * *

She’s made mistakes before.

Yang won’t lie about that; she’s made millions, but she has tried to fix them as fast as she can—and  _ learn  _ from them—ever since Summer’s death. Her death marked the day Yang knew she had to grow up faster than others her age. Despite being grief-stricken, the blonde took care of Ruby when Tai couldn’t, at least until Qrow came back to set things straight in their household again.

She wasn’t new to mistakes, but that didn’t mean she let it go easily when she  _ did _ make more mistakes.

“I shouldn’t of done that,” Yang apologized sincerely, looking at an upset Ruby—arms crossed and everything—with a frown. “Where’d she go?”

Ruby grumbled out, “I don’t know and I don’t care. She left after yelling at me for so long that I thought my ears would explode.” She glared at the ground under her boots, her voice growing quieter as she continued. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

The blonde winced. “Hey, don’t talk like that. It wasn’t your fault, that girl sounded like she had a stick shoved right up her—”

_ “You!” _

Yang flinched at the unexpected, high-pitched screech, only to be quickly followed by a squeak and hands clutching to her arm in surprise. She blinked, the sight of all her peers overshadowed by a furious figure in white seething at her.

She felt Ruby hide behind her—the description her sister gave earlier fitting the girl in front of them—but Yang couldn’t help staring. It felt like a magnet was suddenly placed in her chest while the opposite was placed in the hands of the girl in front of them.

“Why does this happen to me?” Ruby whimpered, snapping Yang out of her thoughts. The fingers on her arm slackened their death grip, her sister shifting away from behind the blonde. “How’d you even find me?” she asked with an honestly curious tone.

Weiss—Yang remembered the name Ruby mentioned earlier in her rant—narrowed her eyes, the hard glint making both sisters gulp. She kept her glare on them as her hand outstretched between them in a single movement, completely ignoring Ruby’s question. “Take this.”

The pamphlet was shoved into Yang’s hands without hesitation, the blonde having to fumble to keep it from slipping out of her grasp. “Wait, what?” She was baffled by how accurate Ruby’s description of the heiress was; Weiss didn’t even pause to listen.

“Read this,” she ordered firmly, before glancing at Ruby, who retreated back behind Yang when her icy stare focused on her. “And never speak to me again.”

The blonde gaped at Weiss, rendered speechless at how fast things escalated. She barely had any time to get her bearings back before the heiress marched off again, the latter’s shoulders as stiff as her posture as she left. Yang laughed nervously, scratching the back of her neck as she waved the pamphlet in the air, getting Ruby’s attention again.

“That was something, wasn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY
> 
> Thanks to everyone who comments, those really help me continue writing, and sorry for such the long wait. School gets busy for me this time of the year, so things are a bit slow right now, but hopefully the next chapter gets out quicker.
> 
> Things are gonna start getting interesting :3


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